Personally I love adding a pop of colour to a look, and Alexa Chung gives food for thought on this idea in her new Resort Collection. Alexa gives us strappy checked dresses, a gorgeous layered tulle skirt and mixed prints, but the standout trend of the collection? The splashes of red in the footwear (and this emoji inspired dress )! Now, all those of us that follow fashion probably had an inkling that red boots were here to stay throughout SS18, but with it cropping up in resort collections, I’d imagine we can now expect to see them following through into AW19 as well!

Men’s fashion week has recently begun and as I trawled through the photos from various shows so far I noticed that outerwear for men was making a huge statement- from big bold prints to oversized bomber jackets.

One big trend came from Etro; with the whole collection boasting lots of Japanese influences that included Obi belts wrapped around suit jackets and waistcoats. Not only this but the Italian fashion house also gave us a belted robe, almost similar to the traditional smoking jacket, but with a Navajo style print in luxuriously thick material. If this newer combination isn’t quite your style then those of us with a more classic style can refer to D&G, who also failed to disappoint, offering a silky, embroidered version that gave us matching suit style trousers!

If you saw my last post you’ll notice that I dressed up a pair of blue jeans with silver block heel sandals and a blue pin striped shirt- what I didn’t show you was how I accessorised this look to dress it up even more. Luckily I took this up close shot of my accessories for that evening!

The details:Clutch bag- House Of FraserBracelet (I also wore matching earrings) – Attwood and SawyerRing- by a Welsh Designer at Tintern AbbeyNails: ‘Girls on Film’ Glitter Polish from Gosh

*Another Shot of my dress from above* Two dresses in one- The inner part of this dress was tight fitting, covered by gorgeous mesh and embroidered detailing- you can see this part blowing in the wind behind me (it was very windy on the top deck). [Shoes- New Look] *Dressing Up Blue Jeans* [Leather Bomber- Topshop] [Striped Shirt- Zara] [Blue Jeans- Primark] [Sandals- New Look]

Usually my trend reports are inspired by high end designer collections that I have spied in catwalk shows, but this blog post has actually been inspired by the SS15 collection I have been eyeing at Warehouse!

So, what can you exactly expect to see from this trend?

Colours to look out for:
Ranging from beige and khaki green for that traditional safari vibe to vibrant oranges and greens in the form of bold prints, this trend really does have a colour spectrum for everyone!

It’s all in the details:

Fringing and tassels are seen adorning sandals, handbags and even dresses and kimonos whilst even loose cotton shorts are seen with cute little pom poms attached to the hem!
Even the fabrics echo cool safari vibes- thick fabric shopper bags are embroidered with bright ethnic prints, and as part of their holiday shop collection Warehouse have an amazing range of loose fitting cotton dresses, shorts and even wide leg trousers!

Styles to grab now:

A part from a few mentioned above, I am absolutely loving the gypsy dress- off the shoulder, with an air of both cool and casual in light cotton materials screams safari, or at least for most of us a nice sunny holiday abroad. But let’s be honest, I’ll be wearing mine everywhere- I love dresses that can double as day and night attire.. (I will just have to wait until pay day). If you don’t fancy a dress though, why not get yourself an off the shoulder, boho style tee instead? And not forgetting the fringed kimono and poncho that have returned for another season!

The prints:

We’ve seen how amazing just the plain brights and neutrals can look, but if you aren’t afraid of a little print then this trend is the perfect way to update your wardrobe. Think oversized African Florals for the more bold efforts, or for a more subtle approach why not try paisley or Aztec?

Don’t forget to accessorize:

I’ve mentioned the beautifully embroidered selection of fabric handbags, but what about jewellery? I accept that maybe it isn’t the most practical for a real safari trek- but we are probably just playing pretend when we try out this trend. So when on the hunt for some new jewellery this Summer, why not think about layering a few necklaces together? Or if you want something a bit louder, why not try something new with chunkier ethnic bracelets, even fabric bracelets are a great alternative!

Before I get into anything, just take a look at my little scenario below:

You’ve found the dress for a girls night out, or so you think.

You’ve seen it on a mannequin at the front of the store and instantly make a beeline for the dress on the rack, a bejewelled necklace hanging decoratively over the hanger only lures you in further.

You, and your new love, march on over to the fitting room ‘Just the one please’ you say boldly. This dress is the one, you think to yourself smugly.

You step into the brightly lit cubicle ready to try on the one.

Pulling it over your head, you begin to frown, this feels a little snug already…it’s just the fit you decide dismissively, squeezing your arms through the holes.

You pull down the dress and zip up the sides and turning to see yourself from all angles you begin to pout with disappointment and a little self loathing.

How can it fit half of my body so perfectly and look so disgustingly wrong on the other half?

Okay, now hands up all you girls (and guys) who have experienced dressing room self loathing?

Yep, me too!

Now how can we avoid this happening again?

1 – Finding what does (and doesn’t) suit youIt’ll be worse before it gets better, but trust me, the key is to try on lots of styles- how will you know what suits you if you always go for that same style of low rise jean, what if a higher waist looks amazing on you and you just haven’t realised it?

2- Size doesn’t matterBe sure to take a selection of sizes per item to try as well- I know it is difficult to separate yourself from the stigma of what size you are, but seriously, if a size 12 looks good why wouldn’t you buy it? I’ve heard so many people with the attitude of ‘ I am not going up a size’- for starters sizes fluctuate massively across brands, and this is enough of a reason not to worry too much whether you go ‘up’ a size or not, because chances are, you probably haven’t.

3- Not all trends are your friend

An online magazine tells you that you need to buy into the comeback trend of 70’s style flares. Great for some, but not necessarily great for you- but you’ll never know until you at least try them 🙂 Experimentation with trends is great, just learn which ones are your friends, and which ones aren’t, and the same goes for colours and prints too.

4- Stick to what you know

Yes, experiment all you like and add to your collection of what suits you- but don’t be afraid to have items in similar shapes and colours if you look and feel great in them! Just remember to always dress for yourself and nobody else- don’t buy into a certain trend if you feel rubbish in it- go with what you know and how you feel in yourself 🙂

By combining dark greens and deep berry tones with more neutral creams and rich browns, the colour pallete at Coach made this collection an instant winner for me.

Hardy Amies

Offering a mixed bag of gorgeously tailored suits, cosy cashmere coats and warm accessories in an array of colours, from dark greys and navy blues to pops of bright yellows and cobalt blue, this collection (as usual) did not disappoint.

Tom Ford

This campaign is simply stunning and is mainly why I’m so sold on this as one of my favourites, not forgetting the actual collection, of course.

Pringle of Scotland

A chunky knit layered on top of more chunky knit is a definite winner for me, especially when combined with more structured outerwear.